Portsmouth girls lacrosse fall in playoffs, but left a mark in return to Division-I
CRANSTON – The Portsmouth girls lacrosse team knew what it was up against. The plan was simple – leave it all out on the field.
The Patriots did just that, but up against the juggernaut that is Moses Brown, there was only so much they could do. The Quakers went on a big run early in the game and closed the second half even stronger, pulling out a 20-8 win that ended a terrific Division I season for Portsmouth.
“It means the world. I couldn’t ask for a better team and better coaches and better competitors,” said Portsmouth’s Elly Skeels following the loss. “I played some amazing people throughout the season and I’m honored to play alongside all of my teammates and we’ve all gotten a chance to really prove ourselves in D-I after moving up from D-II.”
Portsmouth went 3-10 in Division II in 2017 before the program started slowly turning around. In 2019 the Patriots had their first winning season in five years and after COVID wiped out 2020, they returned with a vengeance. Portsmouth went 10-1 in 2021 before losing the Division II title game to North Kingstown, but the Patriots got their title last spring with an undefeated season and a win over Burrillville in the D-II championship game.
That success forced a move to D-I in realignment. Portsmouth had been in Division I in the early years of the sport, but hadn’t played with the state’s best for quite some time.
The Patriots struggled to adapt early, opening the season with a 2-5 record – including a four-game losing streak – before things turned around. Portsmouth followed the losing streak by ripping off five straight wins and putting up a fight in a 21-15 loss to defending state champ Barrington.
“We really wanted to fight. We really wanted to show we’re not just here to get beat and then get brought back down the next few years,” Skeels said. “We really want to stay here and we really wanted to compete with some really talented athletes and be recognized as well.”
Portsmouth’s 20-14 quarterfinal win over Lincoln School set up a matchup with Moses Brown in the semifinals. The Patriots lost to the Quakers 18-9 and 16-11 during the regular season, so they were more than aware of what they’d be facing at Cranston Stadium.
Moses Brown got on the board first and Portsmouth quickly responded, but before the Patriots could catch their breath the Quakers went on a 6-0 run and didn’t let up from there. Moses Brown was up 10 goals late in the first half, forcing a running clock situation before Portsmouth tallied two goals to make it 13-5 at halftime.
In the second half, the Quakers continued to find ways to score and quickly opened up a double-digit lead that let the clock run for most of the second half.
“We had nothing to lose. We just came here because we had to prove it to ourselves,” Skeels said. “There was nothing to lose. Their players are just like us – they’re competitors and it’s really anyone’s game.
“We had to bring the fight to them and Moses Brown really brought the fight today.”
Kaitlin Roche led Portsmouth with four goals. Emilie Bobola scored three and Skeels had a goal.
The Patriots showed their emotions after the loss, but the team left Cranston feeling proud about their effort on the field and the season as a whole.
“I’m so proud of all of us and so proud for getting here,” Skeels said. “The growth of our program was incredible. We went from D-II, going all the way, to D-I and playing in the semifinals in our first year.
“It’s a great honor and putting it all out on the field to go out was amazing.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Portsmouth girls lacrosse loses to Moses Brown in D-I playoffs
